


A (Late) Christmas Story

by RoamingFirefly



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Pet Shop of Horrors
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-07 02:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1114372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoamingFirefly/pseuds/RoamingFirefly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having nothing to look forward to but a lonely, miserable Christmas, Cid Highwind wandered the busy Midgar streets to happen upon a rather strange new Pet Shop. Little did he know, the shop's mysterious and exotic - and rather androgynous owner had more than a few surprises in store for him. Yaoi. AU. Crossover. Starring Vinny and Sephy as cats. Pairing: well, there's Vin/Seph and Seph/Vin... and Cid and Shera are in there, somewhere...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Night Before Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's Notes:** A late Merry Christmas everybody! And a Happy New Year! I've been meaning to do some writing for a very long time, but life has been keeping me busy and I've been in the company of a rather large writer's block. This one came quite suddenly, originally as an idea of a series of sketches, but since I probably have neither the time nor the skill to actually draw them all out, I figured I better write this story down before I forget the idea. It might be a little rough around the edges, but I hope you will enjoy~
> 
> **Warnings:** suggestions of sexual content of the unconventional persuasion, though I think this might be my first fic that is not rated 'M' :P We'll see.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy 7 and all its characters, settings, etc., belong to Square Enix, and likewise, everything of Pet Shop of Horrors belong to their creator, Akino Matsuri. This is a fanfiction written purely for fun and no profit is made from it.

 

* * *

 

December 23

 

 

 

7:00pm

The streets of Midgar shone bright with the joyous colours of Christmas lights. The streets hustled and bustled with people, bundled warmly in their coats and hats and scarves, hurrying to get the last Christmas shopping done before the annual gathering of family and friends. Cid Highwind wandered aimlessly down the festive streets, the tiny, velvet box in his pocket weighing as cold and heavy as lead on his heart. He didn't know why he had suddenly got up and flown all this way to Midgar, or why he bought these earrings. Shera's eyes had shone so brightly when she saw them. She wanted them very much, he could tell, but she would never ask for them. Shera never asked for anything...until three days ago. He had been in a foul mood. Rumours had made their way into his ears that a handsome young man dressed in a flawless, expensive-looking white suit and sporting perfectly coiffed blond hair has been appearing on his doorsteps when he wasn't home. And Shera had been seen inviting him in...to THEIR house...on several occasions. And so he was tinkering away in his rocket — an unavoidable reminder of failed dreams and lost hopes, jutting prominently, mockingly, crookedly, in the landscape of his life-trying to force unwanted thoughts out of his brooding mind, when Shera came looking for him. She had always been so soft-spoken around him, as if he was some fragile thing that would fall apart if she but breath a little bit louder around him, and yet this time, she wasn't acting at all like her usual self. She refused to be cowed by a few loud curses, and a few commands for her to go away and leave him alone. She demanded that he go home. She accused him of always being in this rocket, of never being there when he was needed, and he...said a lot of things that he shouldn't have...that he didn't mean. He told her that he didn't need her, he told her he wanted her out of his life, he told her he would be much better off without her. None of it was true, and he regretted it as soon as he said it, but it was too late. Now he had a pair of earrings in his pocket that he had no one to give to. He had no idea where Shera went, or if he'd have the courage to face her even if he did.

A body reeking of sweat and alcohol suddenly ran into him. Cid hollered a few obligatory curses after the drunken man about watching where he's going, then shook his head and continued on his way, knowing the man was too far gone to take heed anyway. It appears that he had wandered into the raunchier side of town. Just as well. Looks like he'll be spending his Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in cheap bars just like the ones that lined these streets, drinking away his woes with all those other sorry, unkempt bastards bemoaning their misfortunes and mistreatment from the world. A fine prospect indeed.

One storefront caught his eye however — and no wonder. In the midst of flashing neon lights advertising cheap booze and cheap sex and cheap paradise, was an ornate double-door made with finely polished, obviously expensive hardwood. Intricate details with a distinct classical-Wutai flavour were carefully hand-carved upon it, and it was lit by nothing but a pair of Wutai-style lamps. It wasn't just their uniqueness that caught the old captain's eyes-there were all sorts of colourful shops selling all sorts of...colourful..wares in this part of town, you never know what the next store was going to look like. But such an expensive piece of artwork, sticking out like a sore thumb among its neighbours, seemed unlikely to survive long before being stolen or at the very least, ruined by graffiti in this part of town. But what seemed even more out-of-place was the sign over those doors: a large sign that said nothing but "Pet Shop". Considering the part of town he was in, Cid would have concluded that the sign meant something far less innocent that it seemed...except it was written in Wutaian. An odd choice, considering that most people around these parts don't fly around the continents on a regular basis, and so very few knew how to read the Wutai script. But apparently, whatever the shop owner was doing, he was doing it very well, for word-of-mouth it seemed, was all advertisement the shop needed.

Even Cid has heard of this pet shop with its proud, minimalistic Wutaian sign — amidst Shera's absent-minded chatterings. Apparently they've just opened in Midgar barely a month ago, and word of it was already spreading like wildfire. Apparently the owner had an uncanny ability to find the perfect animal for just about anybody. And the number of species the shop had in stock, as the stories went, was beyond human imagination. Tifa and Cloud, Barret and Marlene, and even a few of the Turks were now all happy patrons of the shop. Shera had suggested that they too should go see what this shop was all about some day, and perhaps liven up the house a bit with a cute furry companion, or two. She was busying about in the kitchen when she said that, and he was pouring over his blueprints and answering her with non-committal grunts. They never did go.

Well, he's here now. Might has well. Not like he had anything better to do. Cid took a deep drag from his cigarette, and then climbed up the steps to those heavy red doors.

"Welcome." greeted a smooth, melodious voice. It took several seconds of his gears whirling in his head for Cid to process what he was looking at. The doors may have seemed out-of-place and ornate, but the interior of the shop might well have been from another planet. There were couches, curtains, pillows, chairs and tables everywhere, each of them more finely decorated than the next. And all over them, on them, in them, and underneath them, were animals of all shapes and sizes: cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, lizards, monkeys, even a snake or two. And a fox, with way too many tails. And even a raccoon, and a weird, mean-looking goat with paws instead of hoofs. And some other animals whose species the airship captain could not name. And the young man (woman? Man? Woman? Man. ...Probably) who greeted him, was equally exotically decorated, in a colourfully embroidered Wutai costume, the like he'd only seen on the most fussy Wutai ladies in the most flashy parties — on TV.

Seeing the pilot frozen at the door, the young man shaped his lips into a gentle, curt smile, and beaconed: "Please, come in. We would be most happy to help you find your perfect companion. Any pet you like, we have everything from the most ordinary cats and dogs, to exotic species that barely skirt past the regulations, and all that fall between."

Cid took another look at all the meticulously designed chaos around him, took another deep drag from his cigarette, then finally, he blinked and uttered his first compliment in many years: "^%$# ! This is some *^#%&(&$# shop ya have here!"

* * *

8:00pm

At first the young man seemed a little surprised at the pilot's choice of words, but he was obviously an old hand at dealing with customers of all kinds. It didn't take him long at all to recover and invite the pilot to chat over some tea (which instantly won him points with Cid. And it was damned fine tea too! Has a very subtle yet relaxing aroma) and sweets (which Cid chewed on in politeness). And before he knew it, Cid was telling this young man — this "Count D", all about his troubles, past and present.

Count D listened patiently, until Cid trailed off his last sentence and sat slumped in his chair. He then sat down his tea gently with his graceful hands, and stood up with a polite bow: "Captain Highwind, I believe I have the perfect pets for you. Please, come with me."

The young shop keeper then pulled aside a heavily embroidered curtain at the back of the shop to reveal a hidden door. Instantly curious, and too grizzled and battle-hardened to fear any funny business that anybody might be up to, Cid got up without a thought and briskly followed Count D into the mysterious rooms beyond.

* * *

?:?pm

A pair of garnet eyes looked up at him from a bed of silken pillows. Midnight-black hair drifted in wild directions over the bare, ivory shoulders. On the small of his back rested a dozing demi-god, with hair of molten silver pouring over both their lithe, bare torsos.

"Ya %$#$ &^% #$$^! BASTARD! What sort'a filthy operation ARE ya running here?!"

Ok, maybe the improbable spaciousness of the interior of the pet shop was a little weird, the maze-like hall ways and the walk through them a bit suspiciously long, and maybe all this mystery-making, smoke-and-mirrors act that the Count was doing was a little excessive, but opening a door to reveal a dimly lit room with two beautiful, half-naked young men dozing on a silk-covered bed? And introducing them as "pets"? Cid glared at the Count in disbelieve.

"Captain Highwind, that was a little rude," said the Count, looking slightly offended, yet not at all surprised, "they may look a little different, but they are still a perfectly fine pair of cats."

"CATS?!" Cid looked back at the pair of young men and took a deep breath to let loose another tirade of his colourful language, but then abruptly stopped. Just as the Count had said, before him were not young men, but a pair of cats. The one who had been quietly watching him had luxurious black fur and beautiful red eyes; and the one that was dozing with its head resting on its black companion's back was a magnificent silver, who had just now, cracked open one bright green eye in annoyance at all the commotion.

Not waiting for the pilot to stop gaping in confusion, Count D strode over to the cats and gently stroked them on their soft furry heads.

"I will admit that they have no pedigree to prove a noble nor exotic lineage. We don't know where they came from actually. All we know is that they've been kept for a very long time in the basement lab of a...mad scientist, shall we say. And I admit that there is no doubt that they've been used as experiments, but for what exactly, we're not really sure." a hint of anger surfaced through Count D's finely practiced soft tone, and Cid too, felt a pang of sympathy and outrage for the poor animals. They were very beautiful cats, and there was no denying the intelligence that shone through their eyes.

"And for that reason," Count D continued, "many patrons have rejected them, thinking that whatever was done to them in the lab might make them dangerous. After all, humans fear what they do not know. But in truth, they are perfectly gentle and intelligent pets, see?" The Count picked up the black cat and pushed it into the pilot's arms, "As long as you do not harm them, they will bear no ill will towards you. Much more reasonable than some humans, wouldn't you agree?"

The gruff airship captain stared down at the warm furry ball of black that quietly looked back at him with large, gem-like red eyes, and promptly melted.

"So, err... This 'mad scientist', what happened ta him?"

"He died. Very unfortunate." answered Count D, and had Cid looked up from the black cat in his arms, he would have seen a strange smile on the shop keeper's young face, as if there were some great, secret joke, that only he knows.

"Heh, must'a been karma that caught up to the sorry bastard" said Cid absent-mindedly, now stooping down to offer a hand to the magnificent silver, who sniffed at the work-roughened fingers as if it were a prince being offered the meagre scraps of a peasant, then raised its chin magnanimously to allow the captain to pet him.

"Indeed." agreed the Count, "So, Captain Highwind, will you share your home this Christmas, and all your Christmases hereafter, with our Vincent and Sephiroth?"

"'Vincent' and 'Seph-whatchamacallit'?" Cid guffawed, "What kind'a cat names are these? If it were up ta me, I'd call 'em Spooky..." he pointed at the black, "and Scratchy" he pointed at the silver.

Both cats instantly bristled, and Cid held up a hand in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I was jus' kiddin'. Vincent and...err...Seph-ir-oth it is." he sat Vincent back down on the bed, "Smart lil' buggers, aren't ya?"

The two cats calmed in satisfaction, and proceeded to groom each other.

"So, I guess you want me to take the both of 'em, eh?" asked Cid as he watched them.

The Count nodded, "I'm afraid so. They have specifically requested to not be separated. One would give up being adopted if the other were not adopted to the same house."

Cid raised an eyebrow at the Count, but then quickly dismissed it as harmless eccentricity from the flamboyantly-dressed young man. And the cats do seem to be very close to each other. Not as if he had the heart to separate them anyway.

"Well then," the pilot addressed the two cats, humoring the young shop keeper, "what do ya say? I may not be the shiniest jewel in the crown, heck, I ain't no gem at all. And I may not be able to give ya silk sheets and pillows. But I promise to keep a solid roof over yer heads, and a warm fireplace in the winters, not ta mention more than a few mice in the cupboards for ya ta chase, heh. And I promise ta keep yer bellies full and yer water dishes cleaned and filled. The litter...well...I'll do what I can...jus'...don't go overboard, alright?"

"And do you promise to never abandon them?" the Count interjected.

"Never." said Cid resolutely, his eyes on the cats, yet seeing something much, much farther away, "I won't ever take a bad day out on ya, and will never shout at ya things I don't mean. I'll come home, more often than I been doing, jus' ta spend time with ya. Y'll won't ever be cast aside or tossed away, jus' 'cause of my %#%$ idiot ass."

Amazingly, the two cats kept their intelligent eyes on him all this time, as if they were truely listening — carefully. And when the pilot fell silent, they turned to each other, then turned to the Count, and the shop keeper smiled.

"Your contract is complete. Please love them and protect them for as long as you live. And may you all be happy together forever after."


	2. Christmas Eve

**Warnings:** suggestions of sexual content of the unconventional persuasion, though I think this might be my first fic that is not rated 'M' :P We'll see. **Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy 7 and all its characters, settings, etc., belong to Square Enix, and likewise, everything of Pet Shop of Horrors belong to their creator, Akino Matsuri. This is a fanfiction written purely for fun and no profit is made from it.

* * *

December 24

5:00am

 

“#$%@~@#%^@*#$#%!!”

Cid Highwind near jumped out of his blankets, his deep slumber rudely interrupted by something big and heavy and ALIVE landing right on his stomach mid-snore. Bleary-eyed, he sat up and looked around for the culprit, and sure enough, a fluffy, silver tail made a graceful arc through the air as its owner deftly jumped off his bed; and a pair of bright green eyes looked back at him imperiously, as if admonishing HIM for not waking up earlier. Out in the living room, he could see a big black cat, sitting in front of his and Sephiroth's food bowls, casually washing his face as if oblivious to the ruckus from the bedroom.

Cid rubbed a hand across his face to try to clear his mind, and looked around his room once again to try to make sense of things. Sephiroth must have jumped down from somewhere high up onto his stomach, but from where? The nightstand is the closest piece of furniture to his bed, but it's too short. The only other plausible thing was a very, very, ...very...tall wardrobe... Cid looked at the imposing piece of hardwood, then the distance from the top of it to his bed, and swore under his breath.

"Athletic little bugger! I am %^$#^ moving that ^&%^#$% thing the hell away from my $%^#$% bed!"

"MAO!" Sephiroth said loudly, his tail twitching in impatience. In the living room, Vincent had stopped his washing and was too, looking at the captain expectantly.

Cid sighed and dragged himself out of bed. Doesn't look like these two were going to leave him alone until they get their breakfast.

"And don't _you_ pretend ta be innocent!" he said accusingly to Vincent, "I know you were in on this too!"

"MAO!" urged Sephiroth.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm comin', calm yer whiskers... Wait a minute... There's still food in yer bowls!"

"MAO!"

"Whadda ya mean 'half empty'? It's half full! Ya pessimistic brat!"

"MAO!"

"Well pardon me! Ya pessimistic _Royal Highness_! Happy?"

It is DEFINITELY against the laws of nature to be awake so early, Cid decided. Now he's talking to cats as if they could talk back! Well, they're both happily munching on their breakfast now, maybe if he get back to bed now, he could still snooze a little?

But when he reached his bed, the sound of eating from the living room stopped, and a moment later, a furry head bumped into his leg.

"MAO!"

Cid sighed and turned to Sephiroth, " _Now_ what?"

But Sephiroth didn't speak anymore, and only looked at him. Vincent too, had stopped eating, and was standing at the bedroom doorway, swaying his tail back and forth uncertainly. Cid furrowed his brows and let the two cats lead him back to the living room, only to find their food bowls still almost full, and nothing else seemed to be wrong. And the two cats rubbed their heads against his legs, and went back to eating.

Scratching his head in puzzlement, Cid turned back for the bedroom — only to hear the sound of eating stop again. And once again, the two cats came up to him and led him back to their bowls, then again, resumed eating once they were there.

Cid finally understood that the two cats wanted him to stay with them while they ate. Sighing, the pilot cast one more regretful look at his bed, then sat his resigned butt down beside the cats.

Weren't cats supposed to be independent? Puzzled Cid, studying the cats since he had nothing else to do. They were beautiful cats, the both of them. Though they indeed "look a little different", as Count D had said of them. Vincent's coat was a pure midnight black, but there were a couple of strands of long crimson hair growing out from among the fur before his ears, and the lush mane under his neck. His red eyes too, were something that Cid had never before seen on another cat.

As for Sephiroth, in terms of colouration, there weren't a whole lot that made him stand out from other cats. However, sticking out from his right shoulder, were three black...feathers? Cid reached out to touch one of them just to make sure, and Sephiroth instantly jumped away, long canines fully bared with his hiss, claws extended and swinging.

"Alright, alright, my bad, I won't touch 'em again." Cid put up his hands and soothed, silently thanking the stars that the reflexes he developed from his younger, more active days are yet just sharp enough save him from Sephiroth's defensive attacks.

Sephiroth just stood there looking at him warily, fur still partially bristled, unsure whether he should go back to his bowl even when Cid tried to coax him back. Vincent too, had stopped eating and was looking between the two of them with uncertainty in his red eyes. Then finally, the black cat tapped its tail tip at its silver companion in reassurance, and carefully, Sephiroth walked back to his food bowl and continued eating, though still not fully relaxed.

Slowly, so as to not startle the cats, Cid put his hands down to his sides to appear less threatening.

"Guess you don't want me ta touch those red hairs of yours either, eh?" Cid said to the black, and indeed, the cat seemed to stiffen a little a those words.

"Alright," said Cid, "if ya don't want me to, then I won't." The black cat didn't look up from his bowl, but seemed to relax a little.

Cid chuckled and carefully reached over to gently stroke the cat's furry black back, "Didn't know that cats can care so much about lookin' different than others too. Well, me, I think they look pretty, ya know, like those ribbons that Wutai nobles used ta put on their prized pedigree cats back in the old days, ta show off how precious they are."

Vincent continued eating as if ignoring the captain, but under Cid's soothing hand, his body vibrated gently with a soft purr.

Cid then patted Sephiroth softly on the head, careful to not touch the feathers on his shoulder, "They also bred big cats, tigers and panthers and the like, for huntin'. Made feather jewelry and such for their best huntin' cats. I think they might'a got the idea from those red beasts that used ta live around Cosmo Cannon. It is said that those beasts were smart, smart as humans even, and only gave them feathers to their best warriors. ...I guess ya could pass for one of those, what with yer jumpin' and clawin' and all. Ya might wanna work on ya vocabulary though, 'mao' is jus' too cute ta be intimidating, ya know."

Sephiroth gave him a miffed glare, but then went back to eating. His body too, visibly relaxed, and he also began to purr.

Cid smiled as he continued to gently pet the cats. Guess he should keep in mind that they'd been mistreated for quite some time in some crazy bastard's lab. And have been rejected by several of Count D's past customers. Even as cocky as Sephiroth acts at times, there must still be some lingering fear and insecurities within the two cats. Well, if they needed him to sit there and look out for them every meal time, when they're feeling vulnerable, then that's what he'll do. But he can't always be home though... Well they both seemed to be generally quite calm and well-behaved, maybe he could bring them with him to work when he's too busy to get home? This would have been a lot easier if Shera were here. She would have loved these two beautiful cats, would have loved taking care of them and playing with them, and brushing out their fur, and...

As he was lost in his thoughts, both cats had finished eating. They rubbed their furry heads against Cid as if as an after-meal courtesy, then groomed themselves and each other, and even gave the unwashed and unshaven pilot a few licks, before running off, every movement as graceful and as dignified as high-bred nobility, to explore their new, messy, dirty...reeking...home...

Shera had left in a hurry, and Cid hadn't exactly been in the mood for house-keeping, and over the past few days, the clutter and grime in the place had...run a bit wild. Cid stood back up, patting away some dust from his boxers and his hands. It has been a good few years since he'd been young enough to get back to sleep after being awakened for so long. Might as well start straightened the place up a bit.

* * *

7:00am

"Mmmrrrrrrooooowwwwww!"

"Meeeeeoooowwww!"

Captain Cid knew that sound, and far too well for his liking. The wild cats around these parts, they have the sex drives of field mice — field mice that had been drowned in caffeine and dipped in narcotics! ...But this time...it sounds like it's coming from within the house... Had Vincent and Sephiroth sneaked back a girlfriend or something? A cup of strong tea in hand, and brows firmly furrowed in irritation, Cid marched into the living room to investigate.

Nope, no girlfriend. Just Vincent and Sephiroth, happily mating away with each other, right in the middle of the living room.

Cid rubbed his forehead. Weren't they both male? He was sure they were both male... Well Sephiroth seems to be definitely male...and happily so... ...And Vincent was quite happily...not male? Cid cocked his head to try to get a better look at the cats'...equipment...then caught himself, shook himself, then walked away trying to get the whole thing out of his head.

* * *

7:00pm

"MAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOWWWWW!"

"MEEEEEERRRRRRRROOOOOOOOWWWWWW!"

Yep, both male. Some time during the day, the cats have switched places, and it's now Vincent who's on top of Sephiroth. And Sephiroth...was a LOT more unashamedly loud than Vincent had been...

Cid looked at his watch and groaned. Had they really kept at it for the entire day? They weren't going to continue into the night, were they? How was he supposed to sleep then? ...And oh Gaia, what would Santa think when he comes down the chimney tonight?

* * *

10:30pm

Cid paused in the middle of brushing his teeth, listening carefully. The mating calls...they've stopped! The pilot sighed a great sigh of relief. Looks like he'll get some sleep tonight after all.

CRASH! RIIIIIIIP!

Or maybe...he celebrated too soon...

* * *

10:31pm

Cid charged into his workshop, toothpaste foam still dripping from his stubbles. He stuck his big, calloused hands into a tumbling, black and white ball of claws and teeth, and ripped the two cats away from each other by the scruffs of their necks.

Sephiroth yelled and hissed at the sudden end to his and Vincent's fight, but the airship captain was in NO mood for nonsense.

"I DUN CARE WHETHER I @$@#$@$% INTERRUPTED YER $#%$@&*$& 'SPAR' OR WHATEVER YA #$%^@ CALL IT! LOOK AT WHAT YA DID TA MY %#@*)*&%$^@ WORKSHOP!"

All around them, pieces of blueprints and notes fluttered about like snowflakes, and broken things scattered here and there all over the floor.

Sephiroth turned his head away as if too prideful to fully accept the blame. At least Vincent had the decency to at least look guilty!

Cid growled, absolutely NOT looking forward to all the cleaning and fixing that he now had to do. And the salvaging of what was left. And the thinking about what precious plans and information were lost.

"That's it! Yer both #%@%^@$ sleeping out in the living room t'night!"

* * *

11:42pm

Cid dragged his tired and sleepy body towards his bedroom. Over an hour of cleaning, and his workshop was finally looking respectable again. Luckily the damage wasn't as bad as it looked, and not too much was irreparably damaged. Didn't change the fact that he was still annoyed as hell though.

Both of the cats were sitting by the couch, on the way between the workshop and the bedroom, and when Cid walked by, they both stood up tentatively, as if seeing if Cid would allow them into the bedroom with him.

Cid gave them both a glare, slammed the bedroom door behind him, and climbed into bed.

* * *

11:55pm

Normally Cid would fall asleep almost as soon as he hit the bed, but this time, he tossed and turned in his sheets. They felt large and empty without anybody sharing them with him. He could not stop thinking about Shera. And he could not stop worrying about the cats. He'd turned off the fireplace before he started getting ready for bed, as was his habit. Would the cats be alright out there in the living room? Would they get lonely? Would they get cold?

As if sensing his thoughts, a soft scratching sounded from his closed door.

"Mao." came Sephiroth's voice. It was not as loud nor as authoritative as it had been in the morning. But he was requesting to be let in as if still not fully accepting the guilt of his and Vincent's trashing of Cid's workshop.

Cid grunted and turned away from the door, not yet ready to fully forgive the cats. His workshop was sacred to him. Nobody but him was allowed in there, not even Shera. Some of those blueprints were the result of years upon years of sweat, tears (manly ones of course), and blood! Some of them would have been ready to be used as soon as Shinra changed their minds and started up the space program again. He was almost there. He was so close. All of his life's work, his heart and soul – his dreams were sitting there in that room!

"Meow..." said a new voice. Low, soft, and sad.

Cid turned to the door in surprise. Vincent? Up until now the black cat had never "spoke", unlike the much more vocal Sephiroth.

"Meow..." said Vincent again, as soft and sad as the first.

The soft scratching sounded again at the door, and Sephiroth's "mao", now too, was much softer than before.

Cid sighed, threw off his blankets, and stepped into the chilly air.

He opened the door, and found the two cats sitting there, looking up at him with their big bright eyes, and sighed again, "alright, come in. Jus' behave yerselves, ya hear?"

As if on cue, both cats dashed into the room with their tails held high, and wasted no time leaping onto the bed and stepping all over it to find the most comfortable spot.

"%$#^&*! I Jus' said ta behave!" said Cid exasperatedly as he strode over, "Leave me some #@%^& room! Move over!"

Amazingly, the cats did. They stepped to the sides of the bed, leaving room in the middle, and looked up at him as if saying "come on in".

Cid just chuckled and shook his head at the odd pair, and wiggled his way back into his warm blankets.

As soon as he was settled, Sephiroth "MAO'ed" imperiously, looking down upon the pilot as if expecting something.

Cid raised an eyebrow at the bossy cat, then turned to see Vincent patiently sitting by his left arm. The pilot smiled and lifted his arm, and Vincent dipped his head politely as if saying thanks, then stepped forward and curled up against Cid's side.

"Ya could have asked nicely too ya know." said Cid to the silver cat, and lifted his right arm. The cat sat down with great satisfaction in the space made for him, as if he was the one that was pleased with the good behaviour of his servant-pilot.

Chuckling, Cid rubbed the cats' soft heads and said good night, and cats purred and blinked at him as if saying "good night" back, and all three of them fell peacefully into sleep.

* * *

December 25

5:00am

"Zzzzz...hmmm..." Cid tried to wave off the tickling by his ear.

"Zzz...zzz...zzz...$%!@$#...Sephiroth...stop yer ticklin'!" but the tickling was persistent. Cid finally sighed and turned to the silver cat on his right, and opened his eyes to see a beautiful young man with long silver hair staring at him with bright green eyes.

"Hello, master, about time you woke up. Or should I say...'mao'?" the young man purred in a low, seductive voice. He was reclining on the bed, propping his head up with a hand on his chin, and his elbow somewhere above Cid's head. Most of his body was covered under the blankets, but his shoulders and chest were most definitely bare.

Cid gaped wordlessly at the strange young man in response. A stirring from his left side caught his attention, and he turned to see yet another beautiful young man, this time with a wild, luxurious mane of black hair, rubbing the sleep from his crimson eyes. Most of him too, was under the blankets, and his shoulders too, were bare.

"Good morning master," said the second young man, his voice low and soft, "did you sleep well?"

Cid looked between the two young men that he was sandwiched between. Naked apparently. In his bed. Cid Highwind was a tough man, a well-travelled man. There were few things on this planet that Cid Highwind had not seen. Few things on this planet that Cid Highwind could not face.

But to hell with it all. Cid Highwind blinked, sucked in a deep breath, and cursed and cursed with every obscene expression he had ever uttered in his thirty-some years of life.


	3. Christmas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's notes:**
> 
> A late Christmas story indeed! When I first named this story, I didn't foresee that it'd take me two years to finish it... xP And I didn't make it before Christmas this time either...nor New Years...nor Chinese New Year...but hey, there's still the Persian New Year, right? Ehehehe...
> 
> Sorry for the long wait *bows in apology* But in a way, I'm glad I took this break. I had actually written about 70% of the final chapter two years back, but I didn't like what I wrote. After looking at it again after two years...it really was crap. It figures that nothing good came out of my writings in a time when I was stressed and tired and uninspired. So yeah, I'm now feeling much more like myself again, and I re-wrote the majority of what I had before, and now this story is finally finished! Yay~~~~
> 
> And yeah, English is not my first language. Verb tenses will never stop fighting me and I will never stop fighting them -_-
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this late, late, laaate Christmas story~
> 
>  
> 
>  **Warnings:** suggestions of sexual content of the unconventional persuasion, though I think this might be my first fic that is not rated 'M' :P 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy 7 and all its characters, settings, etc., belong to Square Enix, and likewise, everything of Pet Shop of Horrors belong to their creator, Akino Matsuri. This is a fanfiction written purely for fun and no profit is made from it.

 

  
  
December 25  
  
9:02am  
  
“Ding dong!” rang the door bell.  
  
Cid pulled on his bathrobe to appear half-way decent, and limped gingerly to the door. Whoever was behind that door _better_ have some damned fine tea or cigarettes to offer him — or a death wish. His brain was still not quite processing all that had happened, and Cid Highwind was NOT in the mood for entertaining guests this Christmas morn.  
  
“Ding dong!” the door bell rang again, and Cid could feel his already short fuse fizzling away.  
  
“Alright alright! I’m comin’!” he bellowed. But whoever was on the other side of the door was either deaf or stupid, for the door bell kept on ringing. And Cid wasn’t about to go any faster – not with that damned pain in his lower back!  
  
“Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding d-”  
  
“^%@#$#$%!! Are ya %#$@^$ DEAF?? I SAID I was COMIN’!!” Cid ripped the door open and roared into the face of his visitor, only to stop short in surprise, “...Shera?”  
  
“I...I...I’m sorry...” stammered the tiny, bespectacled woman, “The door bell s-seems to be broken... I...I only rang once...”  
  
As if in agreement, the door bell sounded once again. Cid slammed a fist into the button to make it finally shut up, and then turned to see Shera frozen and wide-eyed before him.  
  
Shit!  
  
“...ahem...so...err...” desperate to salvage the situation, the pilot fumbled for the words to tell her how happy he was to see her home. He opened his mouth, and too late realized that his voice was sounding way too gruff from all the overuse earlier, and too late realized that his brain really was no good with “happy” words.  
  
“...What are ya doing here?”  
  
Dammit!  
  
“I...I...” clearly flustered, Shera too, fumbled for words, and finally settled for suddenly thrusting something thin and dressed in colourful Christmas wrapping into Cid’s face, “I...I just thought... I know you probably don’t want to see me... but... it’s Christmas, and I thought...”  
  
Kicking herself inwardly for blabbering on and stammering to boot, Shera chanced a glance up up to find Cid...hunched over in pain with his eyes watering and a hand covering his nose. She had misjudged the distance in her nervousness, and had unknowingly rammed the present right into Cid’s nose...  
  
CRAP!!  
  
“Oh no!! Oh Cid!! I’m so sorry!!” in a panic, Shera reached out to grab Cid’s hand to get a better look at the damage on his nose, but she forgot that she still had the present in her hand, and ended up poking him in the eye with one of its corners.  
  
“OW!!” Cid reflexively recoiled...except that his back was still VERY much in pain, and instead of simply jerking backwards like a normal person, he lost his balance and ended up falling on his ass...which did NOT help with his back problems...and so he ended up a pathetic, moaning heap on the floor.  
  
“Oh gods!! Oh gods!! I’m sorry! I’m sorry...” Shera was almost in tears. How could everything go so wrong so quickly?? And just when she thought she had finally made amends for the past too! It’s just like her to go and ruin it again like this! Gulping down a few deep breaths, Shera did her best to calm herself down to a more functional state, and this time, slowly and carefully, hooked her arms under Cid’s to help him up, “Here, let’s get you to the couch and take a look at you...”  
  
“NO!!”  
  
The arm between hers wrenched itself away and slammed into the doorframe, blocking her entry into the house.  
  
“Yer NOT going into da @#$@#% house!!”  
  
It took all of Cid’s strength to get his body to #%^$ MOVE to stop Shera from getting in the house. In all this commotion he had almost forgotten something very very important: the cats!! ...Men...whatever they were!! When he left them in a hurry to answer the door, they were still a pair of barely-clad men! What if Shera saw them? Oh gods...what would she think once she saw?! He would NEVER be able to explain it to her!  
  
Panting from a mix of pain and exertion, Cid carefully turned his body to face Shera, and then almost dropped his miraculously ever-present cigarette when he found her frozen and deathly pale, her face in an expression of hurt as if she had just been slapped.  
  
Oh shit...which part of his scrambled thought processes did he just say out loud?  
  
...  
  
...  
  
  
FUCK!!  
  
“Shera...I...” Cid tried to start an explanation, but his voice died in his throat when Shera’s shoulders jerked with the beginning of a sob.  
  
But she did not cry. Though If she did, then Cid might have had a better idea of what to do to clear up this mess. Instead, she slowly stood up, more calmly and quietly than Cid had ever seen, so calmly in fact, that icy cold dread settled in the pit of the pilot’s stomach.  
  
When she stood up to her full height, she stayed there and sniffed a little as if to gather herself, then she quietly apologized for ruining the rocket launch, for ruining Cid’s dreams, and for being too clumsy to of much help to him.  
  
Cid’s heart twisted in his chest. It was not true, all the horrible things that Shera was saying about herself. It was his fault, it was him being such a %$@^ & ass to her all the &^#$% time, that made Shera think so little of herself. He struggled to stand up, to find his voice, he wanted to stop her self-deprecating apology, but Shera had already bent down to pick up her Christmas present, and pushed it into Cid’s hands with the solemn air of a formal farewell, and then she turned and started walking away.  
  
No no no no no!! Cid silently screamed at his back to stop hurting and his legs to start bearing his weight. He could tell from the way Shera’s shoulders shook, that she was not nearly as calm or as collected as she may have seemed. She was about to break into a run any second, and that petite body may not look it, and her agonizingly slow, overly-detail-oriented work ethic may never hint it, but Shera was _fast_. Cid had never been able to outrun her. If he didn’t hurry up and catch up to her now, he will never catch her – in more ways than one – ever again.  
  
Suddenly, a strong pair of hands took him by the elbows and helped lift him to his feet.  
  
“Pardon the intrusion master, but it seems you are in dire need of assistance.”  
  
Cid froze at the soft, low voice behind him.  
  
At the unfamiliar voice, Shera paused, and turned.  
  
Cid also turned, slowly, still holding onto some delusion that what he would see might be nothing but a talking cat. But no. There Vincent was, in all his humanoid, half-naked glory, standing behind him – with nothing but a pair of Cid’s pants hanging off of his narrow hips.  
  
“I wholeheartedly agree, master.” a somewhat deeper voice sounded from somewhere off to the side, and Cid turned his head to see Sephiroth gracefully swing himself onto the front lawn from the side window...dressed only with one of Cid’s bedsheets wrapped around his waist.  
  
Slowly, very slowly, the doomed pilot turned back to the small, frozen woman before him. Shera’s eyes darted between the three men – all scantly clad – and Cid’s still-aching back, and still hoarse voice, her face flashing between deathly white and bright red.  
  
“Shera, wait,” Cid started desperately, “I can explai--”  
  
  
  
11:00am  
  
“In a lab?? How awful!! Is that why you can turn into humans? Because of what they did to you?” Shera’s tea cup made a forceful “thud” against the kitchen table.  
  
She’s taking this whole... animals-that-turn-into-naked-men thing in stride. A lot better than a certain pilot had, most definitely. Took an injured back to immobilize him long enough to make him listen to the cats’ explanations. Took the better part of 4 hours for his brain to wrap around it all. Cid Highwind gingerly shifted on the living room couch, trying to get into a more comfortable position around two ice packs. One was placed at his lower back. He had hurt it this morning when he tried to scramble out of his bed while trying to avoid touching the strange naked men as best he could. ...His years and inactivity over said years were really starting to catch up on him... That was a most embarrassingly ungraceful fall from the bed to the floor... He most _certainly_ will have to work on that.  
  
And the other ice pack was pressed against his groin. He had almost forgotten how much of a punch...or kick...that Shera packed. Almost. A fond smile tugged at his lips as he recalled the first time they met. It wasn’t common to see a woman on a team of rocket scientists and engineers. Heck, Cid’s team had been a proper sausage fest for as long as it existed before Shera came on. Cid himself had been completely devoted to his work, his dream, and so when he first saw Shera, tiny and hunching over a prototype oxygen tank in her white lab coat, it was probably the first time in years that he had properly talked to a woman who wasn’t of his family or family friends. And he of course, wasn’t wearing any uniform or anything else that might have hinted that he was a part of this team, and she of course, had no idea who this unshaven loudmouth who was waving his arms about and brazenly invading her personal space was. Needless to say their first meeting didn’t go over well. And when she — red-faced and horrified, having been finally informed of who Cid was by the other engineers — stammered horribly as she tried to apologize, he, with an ice back firmly pressed to his groin, hunched over in a quite undignified heap under the worried eyes of his team, could only think about how adorable she looked. And how strong her kick was.  
  
“No. The ability to take human form is a part of us. It is what we are. The...people in the lab were simply trying to force us to use our gifts for their own benefit.” Vincent’s soft voice floated in from the kitchen.  
  
“But we wouldn’t. They were _not_ our masters. They had _no_ right.” said Sephiroth, old anger simmering in his voice.  
  
“I’m so sorry...” Shera said softly.  
  
“It’s alright now,” said Vincent, equally softly, “we escaped, the Count took us in, and now we have a kind master who has accepted us as his. No matter the past, we are happy where we are now.”  
  
“Does he...does he treat you well? I mean, he is a kind man...and...and he means well...” Shera stammered, and Cid’s chest ached.  
  
“He has been very kind to us,” said Vincent as something soft scraped across the kitchen table — perhaps he has reached over to take one of Shera’s pale hands in his, “and I think he means to be kind to you too.”  
  
“He has the temper of a boar and the words of a drunkard,” snorted Sephiroth, “...but he means better.”  
  
“...He most definitely means better than what he can put into words...” admitted Vincent, and Shera’s timid chuckle blossomed in Cid’s heart.  
  
“And you mean more to him than what he can manage to say to you,” continued Vincent, “if you’ll let us, we will show you.”  
  
“But I...” Shera started uncertainly.  
  
“Come.”  
  
And with that gentle prompt, came the sound of wood scraping against wood as the kitchen chairs were pushed back on the floorboards, and footsteps walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Cid held his breath. He was lying with his back to the kitchen door, but he did not try to turn his head to look. He really didn’t know what to say or how to face them. Heck, he did not at all trust what might come out of his mouth were he to open them.  
  
“Master, we request permission to enter your workshop.” came Vincent’s voice.  
  
Workshop? What could these damned cats possibly want in his workshop? Cid hesitated in confusion.  
  
“You can punish us later if you wish,” silver hair slid almost seductively into Cid’s field of vision as Sephiroth leaned onto the couch, “deny us access to your bedchamber, as you had last night.”  
  
Now Cid was blushing furiously. He desperately cussed the cats away, with his permission scrambled somewhere in his tirade, and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally heard their footsteps walking away.  
  
A thin, colourfully wrapped packaged dropped onto him, and he looked up in confusion to see that Sephiroth had not yet followed the other two away.  
  
“It would be shameful to reject such a carefully prepared present,” said the silver man-shaped cat, “and if you so happens to have some time, master, perhaps you should take another look at the oxygen tanks in that rocket of yours.” And with that, he left for the workshop to join the others, leaving Cid alone with his thoughts.  
  
Cid’s brows furrowed. Oxygen tanks? Did he mean the one that Shera was checking that fateful day, the one that she was so concerned with, that she stayed behind checking it, not even minding her own possible fiery death, until Cid was forced to abort the launch? How could Sephiroth have known about that? But if he did — with some hocus pocus cat magic that Cid’s brain was too tired to think about — then could he be implying that Shera’s concerns had been right all along? If she had been right, then...a malfunctioning oxygen tank could have cost Cid his life, had he made the launch...  
  
Cid abruptly sat up, but was instantly halted by the warnings that his still tender back and groin gave out. And by the “plop” sound Shera’s present made when it fell to the ground. Cid carefully inched his body down to pick it up. Inside was just an envelope containing some official-looking papers. Cid scanned through them, his eyes growing wider the more he read. They were papers confirming Shinra’s renewed interest in the space program, and papers detailing fundings that he would be soon to receive! And they were signed...“Rufus Shinra”. Of course! Cid almost smacked himself for his own stupidity. It had been on the news that President Shinra had been of ill health of late...or so they say...and his son Rufus Shinra had taken over his position in the company. Cid had seen the junior Shinra here and there in his dealings with the company. “A handsome young man dressed in a flawless, expensive-looking white suit and sporting perfectly coiffed blond hair”... How could he have been so STUPID! And blind!! And STUPID!! To let the idle chattering of nosy neighbours get to him like that! Shera hadn’t been courting a new beau behind his back! She had been negotiating with the new President Shinra since his own idiotic ass had been too busy wallowing in self pity in that gods-be-damned moth-eaten rocket!!  
  
And the thing in his workshop that the cats wanted to show Shera...Cid suddenly remembered...the earrings!! The ones he had bought for her even though he thought he might never see her again. He’d put them there, along with all the other things that he wanted to keep safe... And as if right on cue, Shera’s surprised gasp sounded from the workshop.  
  
Cid resolutely put his feet under him, grabbed the couch for support, and lifted himself up. He had been a pathetic mess, holing up in the past even as it rotted away around him. But he was Cid Highwind! Airship captain extraordinaire, future first man in space, and the best damn mechanic on this bloody continent! He’d be damned if he just lay around like some good-for-nothing slouch while women and cats busied about fixing his screw-ups for him!  
  
“SHERA!!” Cid Highwind grabbed the doorframe to his workshop, and pulled himself across those last few inches to the doorway.  
  
The petite woman looked up, surprise in her eyes, and the little box with the earrings in her hand. The two cats...men...cats...turned to the grizzled pilot also.  
  
“So,” Cid waved the papers from Shinra as he entered the workshop, “looks like Shinra wants ta start up the space program again.”  
  
“...Looks like it.” Shera answered quietly, uncertainly.  
  
“Well, getting something ta fly inta space ain’t simple, ya know, I’ll be needing a team, people ta help me check things over, ta watch my back,” continued Cid.  
  
Shera blinked in confusion, but she didn’t move from her spot as Cid slowly made his way closer, “Your old team never gave up on you, captain, they’ve always been checking up on you, from time to time. I’m sure they’ll all come back if you call on them.”  
  
“And what about you, Shera?” Cid asked as he stopped in front of Shera, “Have ya given up on this rotten ol’ ass of a captain yet?”  
  
Shera’s eyes widened, “I...”  
  
“I’ll be needin’ da best engineers this planet has ta offer. Ones with a meticulous eye fer detail, ones who will not accept unsatisfactory results, no matter how much their over-eager captain wants ta just get it over with and fly.”  
  
Shera sucked in a breath and held it there as she began to understand where Cid was going with this. Seeing that, Cid moved in and laid out his cards.  
  
“I’ll be needin’ someone ta check those oxygen tanks fer me. Someone I can trust, someone with the guts ta fight me if necessary, ta stop me from launching a #$%# rocket when it is not safe. Shera, I...” Cid took a step forward and wrapped his hands around Shera’s, along with the little box with the earrings that she held, “...I...I want ya ta stay. Ya think...ya think you can put up with me, just a little bit longer?”  
  
Now it was his turn to hold his breath. And Shera...Shera looked like she might pass out if she didn’t breathe soon...  
  
“Yes...” The small woman finally breathed out, slowly, “yes...I think I can.”  
  
Inside, Cid wanted to whoop like a teenager on a roller coaster, but of course he was much too old and too dignified for that, as his back had been telling him all morning. Instead, he gently squeezed Shera’s hand and muttered a somewhat embarrassed “Thanks.”  
  
“And uh...Shera...”  
  
“Yes Cid?”  
  
“...Sorry.”  
  
Shera froze for a moment in surprise, her eyes searching Cid’s to make sure she heard it right. Then, she lowered her face, and the reflections on her huge spectacles hid her expression from Cid. She said not a word, but she put her other hand on top of Cid’s, and returned his little squeeze.  
  
Suddenly, a small mouse squeaked as it dashed across the workshop. Both Cid and Shera jumped, startled, and suddenly remembered that they were not alone in the room. They quickly broke away from each other in embarrassment, and looked around to find Vincent and Sephiroth attempting to slip out of the room to give them some privacy. They would have succeeded too — the silent-footed cats that they were, even when in human form — if they hadn’t accidentally startled one of the mice that loitered around the house.  
  
Feeling his face heat up at the thought of what the cats had just witnessed, Cid scratched the back of his head awkwardly, while Shera turned away and adjusted her huge glasses even though they needed no adjusting.  
  
“Our apologies, master.” sighed Sephiroth.  
  
“We will catch that one later.” promised Vincent.  
  
“Ah it’s fine.” Cid waved a rough hand in their general direction, “Come ta think of it, I owe you two damned felines some thanks too. Fer bringing Shera back... So, err...ahem! ...Thanks.”  
  
“I too,” Shera gave a little shy smile as she came up beside Cid, “thank you Vincent, thank you Sephiroth.”  
  
At that, Sephiroth visibly preened, but Vincent shook his head humbly, “There’s no need. Master, you are our master, you have whatever help we can give.”  
  
“So...how does this work, exactly?” Cid’s brows furrowed, “That Count sells ya ta whoever, and they become yer ‘master’?” Because if it was a slave contract that he had signed, then he wanted no part of it. Not that he was going to ever abandon the two cats...men...whatever, but Hell can go ahead and freeze before he became some sort of slave owner.  
  
As if reading Cid’s thoughts, Vincent shook his head again, “No, Count D simply acts as a matchmaker. He tries his best to match us to a human that might be suitable, but it is up to us whether we choose to accept the human, no one can force our choice.”  
  
“Hn, they can _try_.” snorted Sephiroth.  
  
“An...and you chose _me_??” Cid ran an embarrassed hand through his hair and down to rub at the back of his neck, “Well I ain’t nothing special...”  
  
“You are our master, Cid Highwind. You are special to us.” Vincent said in a soft tone that sharply contrasted with the intensity in his ruby eyes. Cid fidgeted under his gaze, this was all VERY flattering and all, but dammit! He was NOT going to blush from head to toe like some ^ &%# school girl. Mercifully for Cid, Vincent soon turned his gaze away — to somewhere immediately next to him.  
  
“And...our mistress is special to us too.”  
  
“Eh?” Shera jumped a little, surprised to be addressed, and especially not in that way.  
  
“That is...if you will accept us as yours.” Vincent gracefully sank to one knee before her. Beside him, Sephiroth did the same.  
  
And now Shera really was blushing beet red from head to toe. She looked to Cid for help, but Cid too, could only offer a helpless shrug back.  
  
“You don’t have to answer right away, mistress,” said Sephiroth, his voice unusually quiet, “Count D’s shop does offer a trial period. If you don’t find us suitable, there is still time to return us if you so wish-”  
  
Sephiroth’s voice remained stoic through the whole speech...too stoic. Cid moved to stop him, but Shera was faster. In a flash, she had knelt down and crushed the two men to her shoulders before Sephiroth could finish.  
  
“Stop it.” she said, her face hidden between Vincent’s midnight mane and Sephiroth’s silver strands, “Stop talking like you’re some sort of...some sort of _thing_ that can just be tossed away.”  
  
“Yeah,” said Cid as he sat down on his butt pointedly beside the three of them, and crossed his legs as if daring somebody to try to move him — including that gods-be-damned pain in his back, “I said I was gonna take care of the two of ya, and I ain’t no $%# & liar.”  
  
“Then...you accept us?” Vincent asked tentatively.  
  
“...We can stay?” asked Sephiroth softly.  
  
Shera drew back, looked the two in the eyes, sighed, then ruffled their hair as if they weren’t 6-foot tall half-naked men, “Yes, of course you silly!”  
  
The two men blinked a slow cat-blink, then they nuzzled the petite engineer and purred loudly in happiness.  
  
As happy as Cid felt about the whole thing — having Shera and Vincent and Sephiroth there with him, and prospectively staying with him long into the foreseeable future — watching them, he still couldn’t help but wonder if his life had taken a sudden turn into the weird... The very very weird. Especially when the two purring, half-naked young men came over and nuzzled _him_ too.  
  
Well, the chattering neighbours for one, would sure be having a lot more things to chatter about after this morning when Sephiroth, dressed in nothing but Cid’s bed sheet, dashed out to catch a tearful, running Shera. He did catch her though, and together with Vincent, brought her back and persuaded her to stay. And it was only because of that that they were able to be here, together, right now. So if the neighbours wanted to talk, let them talk, Cid decided. The four of them would figure it all out somehow. He is just too bloody happy right now, exactly where he is.  
  
  
11:00pm  
  
He is happy right now, exactly where he is. Cid repeated to himself, trying to convince himself. He and Shera were in bed together, happily made up after having suffered a huge fight. And so by rights, some spectacular make-up sex should be happening right now. And yet it wasn’t.  
  
Instead, they were both reclining on fluffed up pillows, while Shera read “The Night Before Christmas” to the black and silver cats that were blissfully dozing on the bed covers, snuggling in the small space between Cid and Shera’s legs.  
  
Why wasn’t spectacular make-up sex happening? Because, well, Cid wasn’t up to it. Not because he didn’t want it. He did, very very much. But because his back and groin still ached from all that mayhem in the morning.  
  
The cats did offer to help. They had offered to help early in the morning too, when Cid hurt his back. But Cid had refused, just as he had refused again when they offered again after making up with Shera.  
  
It figured that this magical pair of transforming cats would happen to have the power to speed up healing, no side-effects whatsoever apparently. But it also figured that there would be a catch to this no-side-effects-attached healing power: it resides in the two cats’ saliva. And of course they can’t be in cat form while they...heal you, since cat tongues are like sandpaper, designed to clean dirt and stuff from their fur, and to scrape the meat off the bones of their prey...  
  
All things considered though, Cid wasn’t sure if it would be less or more awkward for the cats to heal him in cat form instead of human form. The...specific body parts that needed healing...there was just NO way it wouldn’t be awkward.  
  
And so Cid Highwind had resolutely refused the cats’ offer to help, and decided instead, to try to convince himself that he was happy exactly where he was, and that he was fine with skipping the spectacular make-up sex...  
  
Cid Highwind fidgeted slightly, miserably.  
  
The cats slightly adjusted their bodies to his fidgeting, but otherwise ignored him and continued to doze. They with their soft, relaxed, furry bodies, and Shera’s soft voice reciting a Christmas poem, and the soft lighting cast on the bedroom by the light on the nightstand, all made the very picture of peace on Gaia.  
  
So then why was Cid’s stomach nagging him with the feeling that something was...off?  
  
Somehow, this all just felt a bit _too_ peaceful... Kind of like the calm, windless sky right before a storm.  
  
Maybe it was just him. Maybe it was just the pent up sexual frustration. Maybe he should have just accepted the cats’ offer of help, took the...the healing like a man. They were just cats, right? Cat that turn into gorgeous, naked men...healing him... Cid felt his face heat up, and he quickly sneaked a glance at Shera. Fortunately, the petite woman was focused on her book and seemed to have noticed nothing.  
  
He was happy dammit! And not just because of denial. He truly was. With Shera and the cats, together with him this Christmas night. And he meant all his promises, truly and deeply, every one of them.  
  
Cid sighed inwardly. He’ll figure out all this...this...whatever this is... Somehow...  
  
“But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight — “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” finished with the poem, Shera gently closed the book and sat it on the nightstand. She then leaned to give Cid a small peck on the lips.  
  
“Good night, captain.”  
  
“...Yeah, g’night.”  
  
“Good night, Vincent. Good night, Sephiroth.”  
  
“Mrrrw.”  
  
“Mao.”  
  
And so Cid watched as Shera, with a gentle, sweet smile on her lips, reached for the light switch.  
  
***Click***  
  
~~  
  
The chattering neighbours had a lot to chatter about indeed. The strange, barely-clad men chasing and then comforting a tearful Shera was one thing, but the sounds that came out of the Captain’s house that Christmas night...that was something else. Not that they were new to hearing loud cussing coming out of that house. But the loud cussing that night...well at first they were of the surprised and outraged variety that everyone was familiar with, but then they soon turned into...something else entirely.  
  
Perhaps Cid should have considered whether Shera was as willing to give up on the spectacular make-up sex as he.  
  
And so Cid, Shera, Vincent, and Sephiroth — and their chattering neighbours — all lived happily, and noisily, ever after.  
  
  
~The End~


End file.
